Moments

Millions of moments make up our days.

I find immense joy in noting the snapshots of time, slices of beauty that compose our lives. I've been intentionally paying attention to all the sensations of this season - the smells, sounds, sights, emotions. All the feels.

Like the gentle breeze of morning air and sparkling light on palm leaves swaying; the calm of a late morning after late night activity...

Like sun-streaked hair and bedhead on an 11 year old...

Like texts showing up on my screen from my daughter, "conversations" that mean connectivity in relationship...

Like arms wrapped around me from behind for a whole three seconds from a son who is so tall his arms only envelop my face and neck...

Like my husband who does fun things with me, like being violently whipped around on an inner tube behind a speeding boat...

Like a platter of homemade ice-cream sandwiches, shared by the poolside with friends. Then plenty more for regular afternoons...

Like sleeping bodies on sofas and beds at unusual hours, proof of happy days...

Like the present sound I just heard amidst laughter: "Andrew, HELP! Get my air soft gun!" This coming from Jack who is in the pool as Michael swims away with his trunks...

Like sitting on a rock without distraction, watching my kids bob in an inner tube on rolling ocean waves, or like being washed over by salty surf and surfacing to the smiles of my kids...

Like conversations with my man about his thoughts and strategies...

Like Michael's long summer hair moving in the breeze of the open trolley windows. He seems too handsome to be mine...

Like eyelashes and dewy summer skin, sandy feet and laughter from the backseat...

Like the sight of San Francisco from my airplane window, and the anticipation of celebration alone with my husband...

Like big boys that are playful, loud and obnoxious, happy...

Like brothers and sisters in Christ tightly gathered around our long barn wood table lit only by twinkling candlelight. We are vulnerable, learning, and growing...

Moments. They are everywhere, happening all the time. I tell myself to look intently for the good stuff, to find what makes my heart skip a beat. I wake each day opening two gifts: my eyes. Plain sight is just plain wonderful, but sometimes I must intently look from my heart and through my eyes. I don't want to waste my gifts and never see the moments.

Snapshots of time taken through the lens of my camera help me remember beyond the moment. Photographs do in better detail what my mind cannot. I'm including a few pictures from the hundreds I have yet to sort through. I chose black and white because photographs don't depict life in it's full color. Life is not black and white, but complex; the wonder of beautiful moments are always colored in a complexity of hues. I like the simplicity of B&W, just like the simplicity of noting a moment for what it is: a gift.

Summer hair and a morning swim

The work on our house continues. And continues, and continues some more. It was a projected one month project, and we're now entering the sixth.

I am proud of this man for his work, and a confident attitude that figures new things out. 

Garage floor studio for an artist

Her tools...

...and her craft.

Summer treats

All varieties of summer hair..

We don't need wetsuits in August anymore because our cold Pacific has reached the mid 70's this year.

Our annual open air sleep out on the roof this year + movie night. 

Michael was sick and had gone to be before dinner that night.

A pivotal birthday for me this year, and a moment in time I survived just fine!

 Mid-day sleep, so tired the toy was dropped onto his face

Restful early morning beach time with me, tucked away from summer crowds~

Without a picture, will I remember those juicy lips and boyish fingers fiddling with nature, or the beloved necklace from China with his name engraved on a grain of rice?

I pray nearly each day that I would see the goodness of the Lord. He displays his goodness to me in new ways through his Word and in the countless moments of my days. I just need eyes to see and a heart to receive.

~Katherine

Photolog: March, April, May 2018

I've said it before, like a broken record, that this season of life hasn't been conducive to blogging. I'm terribly behind posting pictures (so much, in fact, that I never even added our Christmas day images!), and I rarely find the time to write like I used to. The structure and obligations of my days no longer lend themselves to blogging like in years past. Maybe now that Jacob and Andrew's flag football season has ended I'll have a few more minutes? Probably not, if my past experiences are any indication.

The end is in sight for the school year (hip-hip-hooray!), so I'm going to do a photo dump post for the spring months. Too bad for those Christmas pictures. Maybe it's "so long" to individual birthday posts, too. I'm not going to feel bad about it; I'd rather embrace reality instead of feeling guilty about it. Not only that, but I'm committed to enjoying moments of life in the present tense before taking the time to recount the past. In a few minutes when Andrew finishes up his math, we're hopping on our bikes and heading down toward the beach for some lunch tacos. I have a strong feeling this post is going to take me a few days to assemble, even if it's with minimal commentary...

I love the simplicity of black & white. Sometimes simplicity is the most compelling~

And I love color. Color is compelling, too, especially considering these are beets! My camera has often helped me to lift beauty up out of the mundane. At times, it has saved me from being lulled into complacent duty and assisted me to delight in the commonplace. My camera has helped to give me eyes of thanksgiving.

Outdoor excursions with my kids never get old. I will surely miss romping around with them when I am old; I hope to be a granny that still climbs trees and tall ladders and hikes cliffs! Maybe I'll have the pleasure of doing it with my grandkids, too. And when we get tired of that, we'll build a fort or find a nice rock to rest on.

March is Olivia's month. This March marked 17 years of life.

My life is more than just enriched by hers. Words today seem elusive, but she is a gift from God that keeps on giving, keeps getting sweeter, keeps enhancing my life.

She and I were recently talking about her 17th year, and we both agreed that it has been a year of taking flight. Maybe it's the first in a series of years, but this one marked the testing of wings and the beginnings of soaring out independently. I am proud of her!

I used Bougainvillea from outside to decorate in a pinch the day of her birthday. The motto which says, "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." has been somewhat of a theme in my life. Creative resourcefulness is a challenge I fully embrace, particularly with the use of plants. 

The coconut layered cake that Olivia picked out for me to make, however, was far too rich for the return in flavor. It was a fun recipe to try, but not one I'll remake. Pick your calories carefully. 

Jack's face! Olivia is going to be a tough woman, thanks to being raised with boys. Last night, in fact, she was engaged in a sweaty wrestling match on my bedroom floor! She has a good understanding AND appreciation of the fact that guys and girls are indeed very different, and I think this will serve her well. She has always been the kind of girl that equally enjoys twirling in a good dress and facing off in a sweaty physical challenge. I like that about her.

I may not be able to keep all the traditions of the past, but I was successful at getting a b-day pic with the b-day child...

We spent the day exploring Balboa Peninsula and Balboa Island. 

Ferry ride to the island...

Side Note: California has become my home and I really love it. This transition took a long time for me. I eventually recognized that I am not entitled to the stability that "home" provides. However, in my disappointment over the years of never quite feeling the security I longed for, I had decided I shouldn't expect or even desire such comfort. So now, as long as I've got the feeling of home, I promise to savor and enjoy it.

Balboa boardwalk, where we walked/skateboarded/unicycled more miles than we expected.

Balboa Pier

My loves

Prom. I mean, PROM!!!

OK, this is a bigger deal in the US than it was in Quebec where I grew up. Maybe things have changed, I don't know, but Olivia and I had to figured things out together. I wasn't very knowledgeable about all the customary details, so probably not as much help as ideal. Her school is small, but it was a sweet event at a beautiful venue. She went with her group of friends (not all pictured). When I mentioned this was her first date, she looked at me stunned and said, "No! It's not like that!"

I think her expression here is priceless. She is a cutie!

Well, assembling this post took me nearly all week in small bits and pieces of time. There are more pictures of May but this probably exceeds what's recommended for one post... Something about loading time, I think. Hope it's not an issue.

Happy Friday, friends. Wow. Yes, just happy. Choose happy. Fight for joy.

~Katherine

Monday Bits

Today would have been a nice day to be at the beach. October Mondays would be amazing out there, especially when the temps are in the 90's like today. We'd have it to ourselves. I'm wondering if I should have scrapped some of our plans today and just made it happen. This was easier to do when my kids were little. 

These were taken back in August.

Skim boarding with body boards. It kinda works.

I was sorting through a little pile of papers tucked in the corner of my desk this morning, and more bits of scribbled notes stashed away in the pages of various notebooks and journals. Like a squirrel, I hide my little treasures in all kinds of places, believing I'll come back in the very near future to consume. Also like a squirrel, I forget where I've hidden my treasures (even if my goodies of verses, quotes, and ideas are not edible).

Corrie ten Boom was a fascinating individual. She is something of a hero to me: her trust in God's sovereignty and goodness was extraordinary, her forgiveness and compassion could only be supernatural, and her example of laying up treasures in heaven is simply wondrous. A while ago I wrote some of her words down on the back of a torn piece of paper. I have not lived a life that looks anything like hers did, but these words resonate with me nonetheless...

"If the devil cannot make us bad, he will make us busy."

"Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open."

"What wings are to a bird and sails to a ship, so is prayer to a soul."

Just a little food for thought to squirrel away in your brain.


{I typed out a number of other thoughts/ideas recovered from my bits of papers (particularly on freedom for the soul), but they were accidentally deleted this afternoon. It's nearing dinner time, so I'm clicking this post into existence...}


~Katherine